You just gotta love these phones from China that seem to come packed in the quirkiest of designs and names. Gadget mavens Brando is now offering the TV Phone V10 (the latter part which sounds more like a highly desirable car engine specification than anything else) - a cellphone that comes with a built-in TV tuner for you to catch up on your favorite soap operas no matter where you are at the moment. Of course, it need not be stressed that the picture quality that you get depends on the reception, but the general idea is more or less there - you get to catch up on your TV even when you’re out of the living room.

In addition to TV functionality, the TV Phone V10 also boasts an integrated radio to keep you grooving to the latest tunes on the airwaves in between TV commercials. The display is also easy on the eyes, as you turn the phone sideways to take full advantage of the 2.6″ TFT touchscreen display when watching TV. This screen can display up to 256k colors at once (I would have preferred 16.7 million colors) in a QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) resolution. Not only that, it boasts handwriting recognition, presumably for those who want to input data in the traditional Chinese characters. This phone, after all, comes from China and is being sold there.

Take note that this phone supports the GSM 900/1800 networks only, so those living in most parts of Asia will be able to benefit from it most. It measures 118mm x 60mm x 17mm and weighs 120 grams, making it roughly the size of a Treo 650. Those who want something small and light will have to give this a pass. Battery life is rated at 210 minutes for standby time, while talk time stands at 150 minutes (both figures are on the lower end of the spectrum). What makes the TV Phone V10 more interesting is the ability to carry up to 2 SIM cards at once, although you can only activate one at any one time. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, electronic book support, MP3 ringtones, audio and video playback (MP3, MPEG 4, 3GP), and a microSD memory card slot. If you’re interested in the TV Phone V10, it can be yours for $305.

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